The present invention relates to a handwritten data input device for inputting data by taking the data input via handwriting on a tablet, and a program recording medium for the device.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No.9-96355, filed Apr. 1, 1997 and Japanese Patent Application No.9-122792, filed Apr. 28, 1997, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
In the conventional data input device having a tablet, a document on which character fill-in boxes are printed is placed on the tablet, and data handwritten in the character fill-in boxes of the document are taken in as handwriting data input to the input region on the tablet, on the basis of a predetermined document format (form), so as to recognize a character. Or, data handwritten in the input region of the tablet are input as image data.
Meanwhile, in a data processing apparatus such as a personal computer, data to be handled are not character data. For example, the contents of the data base are accessed using a category code (numeral string data) such as a customer code, area code or operation code, or data are collected for each separate category code. However, in order to input such a category code from the tablet-equipped data input device, it is required to input the numeral string one by one character by handwriting. Therefore, the operation for inputting a category code becomes very complicated, and the handwriting input must be carried out by learning the category codes by heart or while checking a code table.
In the meantime, at schools, cram schools, examination preparing companies, and the like, answer sheets are marked or graded one by one, and the result of the grading is input to a personal computer (work station) through a keyboard, thus storing and managing the test result of each person. More specifically, the grades of subtotals are obtained by marking or grading each and every question, and the subtotals are summed up to obtain the total. After that, the subtotals and the total are checked several times for possible errors, and the subtotals and the total are input via the keyboard of the personal computer.
However, such an operation is very much laborious, and the results of the grading must be newly input to the personal computer via the keyboard, which is a laborious operation for the grader.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to convert a particular symbol such as check mark, a particular character string such as to indicate a customer name, or a particular word, into a category code corresponding to the particular symbol for each input region on a tablet by simply inputting them in input regions on the tablet, by handwriting.
A related object of the present invention is to recognize numerical values input by handwriting in the input regions and sum them up, by simply inputting the numerical values in the input regions of the tablet by handwriting.
According to the present invention, there is provided a handwritten data input device for inputting a symbol handwritten on a coordinate detection tablet, as handwritten data input in input regions defined on the tablet, the handwritten data input device comprising:
code memory means for storing a category code which indicates a meaning of a particular symbol, to correspond to the particular symbol, for each of the input regions on the tablet; and
code conversion means for converting the symbol handwritten in each of the input regions on the tablet, into a corresponding category code, by searching contents of the code memory means, which correspond to the input region, on the basis of the symbol.
According to the present invention, there is provided another handwritten data input device having a coordinate detection tablet, comprising:
format data memory means for defining a handwriting mark box as an input region on a tablet, so as to correspond to a marking sheet on a handwriting marking box is formed, and defining an input region of a subject of summation to be identifiable;
character recognition means for recognizing characters by taking in data handwritten in a handwriting marking box of a marking sheet for each input region, as handwritten data input to the input regions, while placing the marking sheet on the tablet; and
summation means for carrying out a summing-up operation on the basis of the result of the character recognition made in an input region defined as an input region subjected to the summing-up operation, while handwritten data in each of the input regions is recognized as character by the character recognition means.
Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the present invention.
The objects and advantages of the present invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.